09/09/2025
The CPR Lesson That Saved a Life.
I’ve been teaching first aid and CPR for years. I’ve always believed in its importance, but the truth is, most of the time, I never find out whether the lessons I give are ever used - or if they make a difference at all.
That changed one day last year, in a way I never saw coming.
About four years ago, I was at a school teaching staff first aid and CPR. It was a routine course, we went through everything - how to recognise cardiac arrest, how to preform CPR correctly, the importance of early defibrillation, and what to expect while waiting for emergency services. Like all my sessions, I tried to balance technical accuracy with the gravity of what CPR can mean in a real-life emergency.
At the end of the course, I packed up my things, said my goodbyes and went on my way.
Four years later, I attended a different venue to deliver the same course to a different group of people. At the end of the course a woman came up to me and said she had completed my training before - at the school venue.
She went on to tell me that her husband had suffered a sudden carrdiac arrest at home. She had found him unresponsive, not breathing. In that terrifying moment, she remembered what she had learned. She called the emergency services, started chest compressions, and didn’t stop until help arrived.
They told her afterward: her immediate action saved his life. Hearing her say that, I felt an overwhelming mix of emotions - pride, humility, and a deep sobering sense of what CPR truly means. It’s not just something we teach. It’s something that changes lives.
Months later, I attended a charity ball in support of Sporting Family Change. It was a formal evening - dinner, speeches, quiet conversations- when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the woman from the First Aid course and stood beside her was her husband - alive, smiling and very much present.
He shook my hand and said, simply, “Thank You.”
It’s hard to put into words what that moment felt like. As someone who works behind the scenes , teaching skills you hope are never needed, to meet someone whose life you saved because of them…. It was one of the most powerful moments of my career!!
If you’ve ever thought about taking a first aid or CPR course, don’t wait. You never know when someone you love might need it - or when you might be the one to make a difference.
And to the woman who took that course, stayed calm under pressure and saved her husbands life: you’re the real hero. I was just lucky enough to be part of your story. ❤️